Posted in Books, charities on January 25, 2012 by millisynth
Held twice a year, Brisbane’s Lifeline Bookfest is a great opportunity to not only pick up a bargain but also to help make a difference to a resourceful not-for-profit charity.
Funds raised at each Bookfest help run Lifeline’s free face-to-face counselling support, specialist counselling programs for children and families, suicide prevention and awareness programs, and the 24-hour Crisis Counselling Line.
Brisbane bookworms Mil, Maria, Geoff and Julia helped lend a hand on Friday 20th January by volunteering their time amongst rows and rows of second hand books.
“Our group got to be ‘sorters’ for the day,” explained Mil, “Our task was to walk down the aisles of trestle tables replacing books which customers had carelessly left scattered about.”
“I preferred being a sorter rather than calculating the sales,” said Maria, who worked on the cash register last June, “It was a great way to spend the day. We not only got to help Lifeline but we also got to spend the day browsing the thousands of second hand books for sale.”
The group agreed that it was a wonderful experience and would definitely volunteer at Brisbane’s Lifeline Bookfest again.
The next Brisbane Lifeline Bookfest is scheduled for June 2012.
For more information about attending or volunteering at the event, please refer to their website:
It’s only been a year since Andy LaPlegua’s last visit to Australia with Combichrist and mere months since his tour with Icon Of Coil. So it seems that the land Down Under is a hit with the musically gifted Norwegian.
December 2010 saw Combichrist at Brisbane’s Step Inn celebrating their newly released “Making Monsters” album. With only a handful of punters at that gig, the entire crowd was reduced to one solid, heaving moshpit.
Last Saturday night, Combichrist returned to ‘Bane, this time to Westend’s multi-tiered HiFi Bar.
The first support act was Brisbane metal band DarkC3ll who played a set of original songs, ending with a cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Head Like A Hole” which seemed to get the nod of approval from the punters… or maybe they were just headbanging.
Two DJ sets then filled the next two hours: AngelSpit’s Zoog, dressed in familiar red PVC with a torn black jacket stood centre stage, rolling out a variety of remixes, some incorporating David Bowie samples. It was an hour that my friends and I tolerated, only due to our excitement of being at a Combichrist gig.
At the end of Zoog’s set, DJ Lab7 dominated the stage, once again invading our ears with another hour of noise. This began to do my head in, so my party discretely left the venue for the bar next door to give our ears a well deserved rest.
At 11pm, we made our way back to the moshpit in time for the headline act.
Not as fully made-up as their 2010 gig which had the band in full body monster make-up, Combichrist were still out to entertain this Queensland crowd.
Tonight’s set included anticipated tracks from their latest “Making Monsters” album (“Follow The Trail Of Blood”, “Just Like Me”, “Throat Full Of Glass” and “F*ckmachine” which was dedicated to the Brisbane fans) as well as a few surprise songs as “Deathbed” and “Blut Royale”.
Crowd pleasers were “Today I Woke To The Rain Of Blood”, “Get Your Body Beat”, “Slave To Machine” and the main set finishing with “They” which had the entire moshpit rocking.
The night’s encore was a two song stompfest of “Never Surrender” and an amazing live version of “What The F*ck Is Wrong With You” with the crowd screaming the chorus and punching fists into the air.
As always, Combichrist’s two drummers added a visual delight to their act, often very animated, leaping upon their kits, splashing water upon the drum skins and twirling sticks in the air.
LaPlegua’s animated monster facial expressions and pure energy kept the crowd’s attention and on their feet with hardly a moment when the fans didn’t stop dancing.
A slight disappointment was the sound from the HiFi’s moshpit being somewhat muddy with the vocals and killing any chance of hearing the lyrics.
Moving to the back of the venue, I discovered it to be a little clearer. But the moshpit was where the action was, and my return venture to the front won me a meeting with LaPlegua as he moshed his way through the heaving crowd.
As with their 2010 show, Combichrist didn’t disappoint this fan. This was the third time I had seen them play live and their energy is always amazing, enveloping their fans to the very last song.
Although I would have liked “Red” and “All Your Bass” in the setlist, I couldn’t fault the last three songs which had the entire venue on their feet and jumping to the beat.
There’s something about an Amanda Palmer crowd that makes them unique; they get into the spirit of the show within minutes of the opening act. Happy to go with the flow and laugh along with the antics, they holler and heckle and genuinely encourage the support band on stage.
Last night’s crowd of 1000 fans at Brisbane’s Tivoli Theatre were beyond excited by the end of the second support act, already delighting in the frivolous atmosphere that envelopes a Palmer gig.
No stranger to Australia, Amanda Palmer has made a regular appearance in Australia each year, performing solo on stage, often including impromptu “Ninja Gigs” in parks which are broadcast only hours before via Twitter.
But it has been six long years since punk cabaret duo “The Dresden Dolls” has graced our shores, last appearing in Brisbane at The Arena in 2006.
Comprising of Ms Palmer on keyboards and vocals and Brian Viglione on drums, it was not surprising that they played last night’s opening Australian show for a solid 2 hours.
Appearing in semi-military costume, it wasn’t long before Palmer and Viglione soon stripped down to their trademark punk attire and had the venue jumping.
Last night’s setlist included ‘less played’ songs as “Ultima Esperenza” but also included many fan favourites.
A fantastic cover of The Beastie Boys “Fight For Your Right (To Party)” featuring Palmer on drums, Viglione on lead guitar and “special guest Steve” was a random fan who had answered a Twitter request to play bass.
“Missed Me”, “Gravity”, “Half Jack” and “Coin Operated Boy” were obvious favourites amongst the admiring throng. Palmer’s “Astronaut” from her solo album “Who Killed Amanda Palmer” was also thrown into the set.
The main setlist ended with the popular “Girl Anachronism” which left the fans screaming out for more.
A three song encore finished the evening; the first tune being a cover of Nick Cave’s “Mercy Seat” and ending with Black Sabboth’s “War Pigs.”
Nothing to complain about from this punter, who had only decided on the day that she couldn’t miss this opportunity to see Brian Viglione on percussion. Viglione definitely adds to the show as his energy and antics on the drums are theatrical and visually entertaining.
Palmer and Viglione play well together, working musical timings by subtle visual clues directed across the stage.
Having left their previous record company, this tour depends entirely upon the fans promoting The Dresden Dolls shows via social media and the like, a request that Palmer put to the audience before the end of the gig.
So, to show that I am doing my bit as a fan, here are the dates for The Dresden Dolls Australian Tour…
Catch them if you can!
The Dresden Dolls Australian Tour 2012:
Brisbane – Thur 5 Jan
Sydney – Sat 7 Jan
Melbourne – Sun 8 Jan
Adelaide – Wed 11 Jan
Perth – Thur 12 Jan
How often does one get to meet their sporting hero?
For my b/f, it happened on December 17th 2011 when he took part in the “Troy Bayliss Experience” at Lakeside Raceway, north of Brisbane.
The “Troy Bayliss Experience” is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ (and I say that lightly, as I know the b/f will do it again in 2012) to ride pillion with Australian World Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss.
Riding pillion upon a modified Ducati 1198 S, one gets to do five laps of Lakeside Raceway with Bayliss at the helm, professionally guiding the bike through the twists and turns of the track.
With speeds of up to 245kph down the main straight, the pillion holds onto an extra set of handle bars attached to the petrol tank so as not to fall off!
Being the last passenger out with Bayliss for the afternoon, my b/f got the extra buzz of riding back to the TBE garage with him as well.
It was all smiles as he dismounted the bike, gushing the words “Awesome!” “ Unbelievable!” and “Amazing!” as he took off his helmet.
A reasonably advanced rider, he admitted that five laps with Bayliss was exhausting.
“It wasn’t so much the speeds or cornering,” he explained, “But the braking was really hard on the arms. I know I smacked into the back of his helmet on at least one occasion.”
The best thing about the “Troy Bayliss Experience” is that you don’t have to be a motorcycle rider to enjoy the event. As long as you know how to hold on tight, anyone can do it.
After the ride, we got to chat with Bayliss and get his autograph. The b/f was stoked when his motorcycling hero signed his helmet.
A down-to-earth and genuine nice guy, Bayliss left a big impression upon us from the day.
The “2-Up Superbike Experience” costs around $295 for a warm up lap, 3 hot laps, and a final lap.
Alternatively, TBE also offers “A Day At The Track With Troy” where one can take their own bike out on the track with Bayliss. This program costs around $895.
The “Troy Bayliss Experience” changes locations regularly, so check out the official web page for all dates, costs and locations.
New Year’s Eve 2010 was a fairly non-memorable event. From what I can recall, it was watching fireworks on TV then in bed by 10pm.
So I was excited to plan an evening out at Brisbane’s Faith Nightclub for New Year’s Eve 2011.
My mates from synth-pop band Tycho Brahe were playing along side Brissie rockers Feline Down, so it was going to be a night of goth-tunes and live music for me.
Hosted at Westend’s Uber venue, Richard Warman’s Faith Nightclub was reasonably quiet when I first arrived. But the familiar hard beat of Combichrist filtered through the doors, enticing more black clad punters inside.
At 10:30pm, Tycho Brahe ventured upon the stage.
With $8 bourbons and $6 Coronas, friends, fans and assorted misfits soon filled the dance floor, rocking to and fro to Tycho’s “Don’t Feel That Way”, “Avarice”, “In Your Heart”, “Another Useless Photograph” and “Delos.”
This was the first time that this four piece had played live in 2011 with all members on stage, including their new bass player, Sam Morrison (also of Feline Down).
Final song of their set was the soon to be released single “Sex Rocket”. Originally written as a bit of a joke, “Sex Rocket” has become a dance floor favourite at their live gigs, with fans eagerly enquiring after a copy of the song.
“It will be on the new CD, hopefully this year,” lead singer Ken Evans informed me, “And we will have a video clip and a new t-shirt too. The shirt has a picture of a dildo with wings on it.” He added with a laugh.
Feline Down hit the stage at 11:30pm, indicating that their set would be interrupted mid-way with the midnight countdown.
Opening with their single “War Paint” from their latest EP “Trap Re-Baited”, Feline Down had added a catwalk to the stage to allow smoking hot lead singer, Brodie-Ann Wright, to get out amongst their enthusiastic fans.
Feline Down delighted the crowd with songs from their two EPs including the sexy “Sweet” and their latest single “P.R.E.S.S”.
The 2012 countdown was conducted by Broadie-Ann, instructing everyone to get drink shots at midnight and to “seriously kiss the person next to you!”
Luckily for me, it happened to be my boyfriend.
As a live act, Feline Down are not only audibly exciting but visually entertaining as well. Brodie-Ann knows how to move on stage and get the fans rocking along with her.
Thanks to Faith Nightclub for a well organised and fun New Year’s Eve and a brilliant way to see in 2012.
Woot!
Posted in Music on December 22, 2011 by millisynth
Even if one hasn’t heard of the Australian band “Rose Tattoo”, Angry Anderson is a man who generally gains instant recognition. His image – a 5”1’, bald man highly decorated in bright tattoos – is easily identified.
On Saturday night at The Tempo Hotel in Brisbane, Gary Stephen “Angry” Anderson was the first person I recognised in the establishment.
Anderson first joined Rose Tattoo as their lead singer in 1976. Rocking out classic metal hits such as “Bad Boy For Love”, “Rock N Roll Outlaw” and “Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock N Roll)” from their first self titled album, it was clear that Rose Tattoo had a sound and live stage presence that would capture hard core metal fans.
“Scarred For Life” in 1982 brought us the classic hit “We Can’t Be Beaten” which soared up the Aussie music charts.
Anderson led the band through 13 singles before disbanding in 1987 and going solo.
Some fans say his solo career was somewhat embarrassing, especially in 1987 when he released the ballad “Suddenly” which was used as a wedding theme in the TV Soap Opera “Neighbours”.
This song, however, introduced Anderson to the ‘main stream’ audience, his image appearing on the popular single and into most Australian households.
After two solo albums, fans were thankful when Rose Tattoo reformed in 1998, releasing a live album “25 To Life” in 2000.
“Pain”, their first studio album in 16 years, was released in 2002 and “Blood Brothers” in 2007.
I was excited to hear that Rose Tattoo were touring again in December this year, so rocked along to their gig in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley on Saturday 17th of December.
Tonight’s set concentrated on the “Pain” and “Blood Brothers” albums, bringing down the energy a notch with their blues influence, rather than the hard rock’n’roll that the Tatts are famous for.
Anderson has tonnes of character on stage, often chatting between songs and explaining what the songs are about. He facial expressions whilst singing could be dubbed his ‘trademark’, along side his famous tattoos.
The last three songs of the evening (unofficially their ‘encore’, as Rose Tattoo doesn’t do encores) had The Tempo’s moshpit heaving with “Scarred”, “We Can’t Be Beaten” and “Nice Boys”.
On more than one occasion during this medley was I almost glassed in the face by the hard moshing punter beside me but managed to survive the last 20 minutes unscathed and jumping up and down for more tunes.
Highlights for me included songs “1854”, “Black Eyed Bruiser”, “House of Pain”, “Bad Boy For Love” and the rocking unofficial encore set.
What a blast!
Posted in Music on December 21, 2011 by millisynth
The Angels have reformed… again… this time sans original frontman Doc Neeson.
Instead, they welcome The Screaming Jets lead singer Dave Gleeson.
With a new EP out and an album on the way for 2012, The Angels (aka Brewster/Gleeson/Brewster/Bailey) have been touring Australia and receiving mixed feedback with Gleeson on the mic.
I grabbed my chance to see them live last Friday night in Brisbane and wasn’t disappointed.
Support band “Black Mustang” lead the way, playing a variety of original tracks. Their bassist was a delight to watch, displaying great guitar faces and obviously enjoying what he does best.
Thumbs up to Black Mustang and one to catch again.
I had no expectations for The “Screaming” Angels (which I have dubbed them) other than to hear some familiar The Angels tunes live. I was hopeful with Gleeson at the helm, having seen him play with The Screaming Jets and knowing what a great character he is on stage.
For his part, Gleeson did well. It must be difficult to try and fill the shoes of a popular lead singer and get the fans ‘stamp of approval.’ It must have been the same for AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson when he stepped into the late Bon Scott’s Doc Martens.
It was great to see Gleeson performing his own style and not attempting to impersonate Neeson in any way. If he had, I doubt that it would have worked.
Throwing in crowd pleasers such as “Face The Day”, “Comin’ Down”, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again”, “Shadowboxer”, “Mr Damage”, “Be With You” and “Marseille” tonight’s set list also included some less played songs with “Nothin’ to Win”, “Ivory Stairs”, “No Sleep In Hell” and “Save Me.”
A nice connection to John and Rick Brewster’s side project “The Brewster Brothers” was a slightly revved up version of “Wounded Healer” and The Angels new single “Waiting For The Sun” was also thrown into the mix.
A slight disappointment for this punter was the encore closer with The Animals “Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, simply as this fan would rather hear one of The Angels many original tunes than another cover.
The crowd around me, however, hollered in approval ending the night with a high energy burst.
Posted in Comedy on December 20, 2011 by millisynth
There was a little anxiety on Thursday night as I fronted up to The Paddo Tavern in Brisbane. Having helped arrange the work Christmas Party (and talking it up amongst my work colleagues) I really hoped it was going to be a fantastic night.
As it was, I need not have worried.
The bar staff in The Paddo were great, supplying us with drinks and nibblies in our private Trophy Room venue.
We then ventured downstairs for our two course dinner at The Sit Down Comedy Club, which comprised of either lasagne, chicken or lamb with lemon tart or plum pudding for dessert.
The comedy was great with thanks to our MC, veteran funny man, Paul Brasch.
One legged comedian Gary Fludder amused us with anecdotes about how he lost his leg and what to do if attacked by a shark (see the connection there?!).
Second support comic Mark Werner hit the stage and had us all laughing with his comedic antics before our headliner act “Elbow Skin” ended the night.
This singing duo entertained the crowd of nearly 200 with little ditties about love, life, girlfriends, Hitler, beer, and an Audi car. A winner amongst the folks at work, I was relieved to hear satisfied comments about the great food, drinks and entertainment.
Huzzah for a successful Christmas Party… and now to begin planning one for 2012!
The Sit Down Comedy Club is located at 186 Given Terrace, Paddington just out of Brisbane. Web site.
Above: Mil with Santa’s Sleigh on the 15th Annual Ipswich Toy Run. 11 December 2011.
Each December, my work supports not-for-profit charities to help brighten Christmas for needy Australians who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Often unable to celebrate Christmas due to general hard times or the lack of financial resources, many Australian families find December a sad time of year. The Salvation Army assists families by freely handing out gifts, toys, books and hampers to those in need.
This year, my work supported the Salvation Army by participating in the annual “Salvation Army Toy Run” in Ipswich.
The Toy Run involves a spectacular procession of motorcycles that ride from Brassall Shopping Centre to a special destination. There, riders present a huge collection of toys and other gifts to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy children at Christmas.
The weather was forecast for thunderstorms, however that didn’t stop me from loading up the motorcycle for the “15th Annual Ipswich Salvation Army Toy Run” on Sunday 11 December.
Due to the kind generosity of friends and staff, bags of toys and other donations were strapped to the back of the bike to make the 16.5km journey through the streets of Ipswich with 470 other motorcyclists.
This was my third year riding pillion in the Toy Run, helping transport donations to the Salvation Army van at the end of the route.
The first Toy Run in 1978 saw 35 to 40 riders arrive at the Salvation Army’s car park in Spring Street, Melbourne, where they donated toys to waiting Salvation Army officials.
The event has grown enormously since its humble beginnings, with participants now numbering up to 15,000 Australia wide.
Posted in Comedy, Music on December 7, 2011 by millisynth
Photo: Peter Adams.
‘Topology’ is a five piece jazz band comprising of violin, viola, piano, double bass and saxophone.
Last Wednesday night, they teamed up with Esk’s favourite family ‘The Kransky Sisters’ to present a unique night of music, aptly titled “A Musical Encounter” at the Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre.
The night began with Topology playing a few reasonably lengthy pieces which took the listener away on an imaginative, musical journey.
They were then joined by Dawn Kransky, dressed untraditionally in a skimpy blouse and short skirt, who played her tuba with the quintet.
A very cool version of Van Halen’s “Jump” was included in their set, before Mourne and Eve Kransky suddenly arrived unceremoniously on BCC hire bicycles!
Mourne, horrified by Dawn’s ‘hussey’ dress style, sent her half-sister off to change whilst Mourne and Eve took over the stage.
This short season at the Brisbane Powerhouse was obviously a dress rehearsal for Topology and The Kransky’s before their visit to The Netherlands for their “De Ontmoeting” tour.
Hustling Topology off stage, the three sisters continued the performance with a few old favourites: “Born To Be Wild”, “It’s A Long Way To The Top”, “Single Bed”, “Computer Games” and “Pop Music”, along with new songs “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Pop Corn”.
As always, The Kransky Sisters have their unique style to these songs, making their performance not just another “covers” show.
With the use of a dunny brush, harmonica, reed keyboard, kitchen pot, biscuit tin and tambourine, The Kranskys keep their show not just visually entertaining but musically interesting.
And no one can play the musical timber saw quite like Eve Kransky, which just has to be heard to be believed.
All round, another top show by the Girls From Esk. Here’s hoping they are just as well received in The Netherlands in January 2012.
